Mortars for infantry operations are normally set up manually, with the weapon barrel being aimed manually by an appropriate aiming means, once the firing point has been surveyed. Because the weapon barrel is moved easily after firing a shot, it must be re-aimed manually after each shot in order to maintain a predetermined hit probability.
By way of example, the documents DE 31 21 999 A1 and DE 197 13 192 C2 disclose vehicle-mounted mortars, in which the aiming process for the weapon barrel can be carried out with the aid of mechanical drive means from the interior of the vehicle.
Furthermore, WO 97/48959 A1 discloses a howitzer, which comprises at least one weapon barrel that can be pivoted, an actuating mechanism for barrel adjustment, and an aiming device for the actuating mechanism, in order to align the weapon barrels. The aiming device itself has an autonomous aiming appliance, which is preferably arranged separately from the actuating mechanism and via which the actuating mechanism can be operated and/or controlled in order to aim the weapon barrel in azimuth and elevation, in the sense of a rotary movement of each barrel axis along a conical surface about a vertical axis and/or a pivoting movement along the axial plane through the vertical axis.
The invention is based on the object of specifying a mortar whose aiming system is designed to allow automatic aiming in a simple manner, in particular, of a weapon barrel that is supported on the ground.